A former contestant on BBC's Pointless has shared her experience of appearing on the show and what host Alexander Armstrong is like in person. Fortuna Burke, founder of Contact Journalists, spoke exclusively to Mecca Bingo about her time on the programme.
A polished and sophisticated host
Fortuna appeared on the quiz show as part of a team with her friend Satish. She described Armstrong as "really fun, suave and sophisticated." She recalled his distinctive speaking style, saying: "He has such a distinctive, very polished way of speaking, and I remember saying to Satish at one point, 'He sounds so sophisticated, he's got such a posh accent.'"
She joked that Satish reminded her their microphones were still on and that everyone could probably hear them. "I remember thinking, 'Well, at least I'm not saying anything bad!'", she added.
Professional boundaries behind the scenes
Fortuna noted that contestants "didn't actually get much opportunity to chat to Alexander off-camera." She explained: "You don't really become pally with the hosts or spend lots of time chatting to them behind the scenes. Everything is quite professional and there are clear boundaries."
She praised Armstrong as a "brilliant host," adding: "He's a great speaker, very quick and funny, and he has that suave, relaxed quality that makes hosting look effortless. He comes across as incredibly polished and sophisticated while still being entertaining, which I think works perfectly for a programme like Pointless."
Winnings and what's next
Fortuna and Satish each won just over £1,500 on the show. She said: "At the time it felt like an absolutely phenomenal amount of money. I bought myself a laptop and went on a skiing holiday with my winnings!"
Pointless airs weekdays on BBC One at 5.15pm.
